It has become increasingly popular to purchase bottled spring water, mineral water and other purified waters as a replacement for tap water which may contain undesirable chemicals and other contaminants. Such waters are supplied in beverage containers varying in size, typically, from 350 milliliters to 2 liters but which may be as large as 5 gallons.
Additionally, a variety of tap water filtering devices are widely commercially available for permanent or semipermanent installation in the home and office. Such devices are variously intended to service an entire household, a sink, a faucet and a refrigerator ice maker water supply line.
Many of these devices utilize granular activated carbon filters to remove organic chemicals (e.g. chlorine, hydrogen sulphide, pesticides, herbicides, phenol, chlorophenol and hydrocarbons) from water. An additional filter may be directed to the removal of sediments such as rust and other particles.